


Leaving You Feels A Bit Lonely

by adalheidis



Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Fairy Tale Elements, Fluff, Frogs, I don't want to spoil anything but, M/M, all x1 members are mentioned because i love them too much not to include them, everybody is cute and happy, hangyul and seungyoun own a cafe together, he's still there at the same time though, hints at other possible relationships but i'm not tagging them because i need to save woogyul, okay, seungwoo's barely in the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-24 19:22:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21343417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adalheidis/pseuds/adalheidis
Summary: All Hangyul wants is to be able to live his own happily ever after. Even if he doesn't necessarily look like the typical princess. Even if the man of his dreams is not the typical prince.
Relationships: Han Seungwoo/Lee Hangyul
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> One week after Halloween! I've been anxious to make my debut as a writer for various X1 ships starting with possibly one of the most underrated ships despite the amount of content they feed us. Please enjoy and forget about all of your current worries for the moment and maybe find your own wonderland where you can be happy.
> 
> -adalheidis

A quarter to five in the morning, Hangyul is mindlessly humming to himself and the little songbirds sitting atop the window sill of his room. He’ll sing one note and the birds will chirp back at him in reply, sending him into a fit of little giggles. They birds are not pretty doves, and Hangyul surely does not have skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, or hair as dark as ebony ( _ Probably shouldn’t have dyed his hair _ , Hangyul thinks while running his calloused hands through his bleach damaged hair), but he can still dream that a prince with a beautiful voice will come around and sing with him, right? Right. Maybe…

Hangyul groans and flops down on the mattress he set up in his room. It’s a nice room that he shares with his roommate, Seungyoun. Nothing too spectacular, just comfortable and cozy. The two friends designed it together and built it a floor above their self-run cafe so that it’d be perfectly convenient for them to prepare ingredients overnight and open up each morning. It’s also perfectly convenient for Hangyul to hang out and wait for a certain favorite customer to come by in the morning.

Not even a few weeks after Seungyoun and he opened their cafe, Hangyul fell for a broad shouldered stranger who always frequented their shop at the most ungodly hours. The man would tip excessively generous amounts of money for “bothering” the co-workers and causing any inconveniences despite Hangyul reassuring him that it was fine every time. But Hangyul didn’t only like the man for his money, no he is not that materialistic. He liked the man for all his quirks and perhaps even fell in love with the way the man basically bought off every sweet the cafe produced because he would rather drink beer than have to ever touch coffee. 

The sound of a car’s wheels coming to a halt alerts Hangyul’s attention and he leaps up in excitement.  _ He’s here _ .

Hangyul tiptoes around the body of Seungyoun who had been snoozing on the floor the entire time. Seungyoun looks so awfully exhausted even with his eyes closed that Hangyul feels guilty for being noisy earlier. Hangyul pauses to fix Seungyoun’s blanket and tuck him in before padding down the set of wooden stairs that lead to the cafe. He’s thankful too, that he could busy himself with a small task before going to greet his first customer of the day or else he would have come off as too desperate. It probably isn’t normal to get so excited over the brakes of a car.

A silvery jingle rings and there the man is in all his glory. Elegantly dressed up in slacks, a turtleneck, and a trenchcoat, but also wearing soft and cartoonish face that creates a fitting contrast.  _ How can someone possibly look so perfect _ ? 

“Seungwoo-hyung! My favorite customer! So glad you chose to come back and visit Hanseung cafe!”

“Morning Gyullie.”

Hangyul immediately feels so much happier in the company of Seungwoo, but then again, that’s how it feels to have a crush. Before Hangyul can say anything else, a loud, grumbling roar cuts the air. 

“Right,” Seungwoo coughs to hide his embarrassment and Hangyul wants to coo and offer him free meals for the rest of his life.

“I kind of came over here for an early breakfast.”

Hangyul shakes his head, “Of course, Mr.-I-eat-breakfast-at-four-in-the-morning-because-it-helps-me-find-my-zen-and-better-prepare-me-to-face-the-rest-of-the-day-head-on,” Hangyul dramatically gasps to take a breather before continuing, “That’s why, I already have a pie made just for you! I’m so thoughtful right?”

Hangyul rolls the sleeves of the loose blue flannel he is wearing up and lays down a matching plaid blanket on the counter to place a tin of pie on. Seungwoo can see the steam vaporizing above the perfectly mounded delicacy and his mouth waters, so he keeps his gaze on the pie and away from Hangyul who is surely batting his eyelashes, “Yeah, yeah. You’re my savior Gyullie.”

Clearly, Hangyul is not appreciating the fact that his pie is taking up more of the attention of Seungwoo so he sways his body around obnoxiously until he’s sure his face somehow fits in Seungwoo’s peripheral vision. 

“Seungwoo,” he whines, “You’ll eat here right?”

Seungwoo looks down at his watch and sighs, “Actually, I’m going to have to take out. I’m sorry. You know… my job and...”

Hangyul beams, “Of course, of course!” and immediately begins to box Seungwoo’s pie with the prettiest boarding and ribbons available, busying himself to subtly hide his disappointment in not being able to spend more time with Seungwoo.

Seungwoo walks towards the exit with Hangyul following closely behind. Opening the doors of the eatery, the chill morning wind that gushes inside feels particularly cold in contrast to the warmth between Seungwoo and Hangyul when they were face to face. Hangyul silently hopes that Seungwoo feels the same longing sensation to be near each other again, but shrugs off the thought and gets ready to send Seungwoo off. 

Before Seungwoo can walk off, he shrugs off his expensive coat to drape around Hangyul’s shoulders. Then, he gives Hangyul’s head a light jostle. Leaving his slender fingers carded between the silky strands of Hangyul’s hair for a split second longer, he softly says, “You know I really appreciate you, right? Hyung is sorry that he has a demanding job so he can’t see you all the time. Hyung will treat you and spend quality time with you some other day, okay?”

Hangyul blushes into the coat and prays that he wasn’t just imagining how Seungwoo’s eyes were fixated on his lips. He sighs dreamily while leaning against the door and watching as Seungwoo’s broad back becomes smaller.

A grimy substance makes its way across his coincidentally open-toed slipper clad feet. While most would be shocked, disoriented, or disgusted, Hangyul looks down at the frog sitting on his toes with an unimpressed expression, used to interacting with mother nature. Sometimes mother nature likes to pamper him but at other times like these, prefers to taunt.

“Yeah, yeah. Here to mock my pining aren’t you froggie? Don’t you have better things to do?”

As if the frog could understand his verbal bullying, it sticks its tongue right between Hangyul’s toes and causes him to let out a shriek that, to his mortification, echoes across the street. Seungwoo is staring at him when he lifts his head up, but as always, sends a warm look over and waves goodbye.

Hangyul shyly waves while simultaneously kicking his feet to get the amphibian off of him and he sees Seungwoo stifling a laugh.

_ Ribbit _ . Hangyul gasps as the frog  _ splats  _ (there’s no better word to describe the action) on the ground. With a gelatin-like resilience, the frog returns to its original shape, but Hangyul had still not gotten over his shock so he squats down.

“Oh my coffee, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you froggie! You’re right and I’m wrong,” Hangyul sighs, hugging his knees.

“I’m really pitiful aren’t I froggie? How about you be my friend and keep me company? I’ll name you Gaeguli.” 

As if satisfied with the name, the frog jumps up and into the cafe.

“No, Gaeguli! Why would you leave me too!”

So Hangyul does the most reasonable thing his five in the morning head can tell him to and follows the frog. Follows the frog into the cafe’s kitchen area, nearly bumping into a refrigerator and tripping over a leg of a stool. Nearly knocking over an entire bowl of utensils and destroying a row of premade dough. He hits his head on the backdoor as the frog slides beneath the gap of the door into the yard. 

But then he smiles when he looks outside. Gaeguli only wants to apologize to him and cheer him up by reminding him of his safe haven. Beyond the door is Hangyul’s wonderland on Earth. Rough patches of terracotta tiles are lined by plants in all assortments of heights and colors. The green grasses brush just by his calves and the looming cotton trees shed pieces of fluff to greet him. 

Hangyul takes soft steps, afraid that something will break if he’s too rash, savoring the picturesque view around him until the path diverges into a vast prairie and ceases to continue.

Reds, oranges, yellows, and greens. The prairie is where Hangyul grows all of his crops. He remembers when he so adamantly requested that Seungyoun find a reliable provider of organic ingredients or else he would grow them out on his own. Though the world doesn’t require it, Hangyul would never forgive himself if he didn’t give his customers the best quality of food. In fact, thinking back at it, he probably would have ended up opening his own fruit store if he had not pinky promised to work the same job as Seungyoun when they were toddlers (why he even stuck to that promise he doesn’t know either).

Taking in a deep breath, Hangyul feels at peace. Today is a good day to harvest some crops. Hangyul puts one foot into the prairie and he’s falling down a rabbit hole. 

_ Holy King Sejong _ , he’s falling  _ fast _ .

The velocity at which Hangyul is being sucked down whatever vacuum hole he is in is high enough to be pulling his face enough that he could have aged up by five years. The next time someone makes fun of his “elder” appearance, he’ll have a good story to tell.

In a flash, Seungwoo’s coat flips inside out and engulfs Hangyul, completely cutting off his vision. 

“Oomph!”

He thrashes and scratches and kicks and screams to escape the darkness. A hand here an elbow there, he fights with vigor until his back hits the ground and his breath is knocked out of him. He spends a good few moments coughing and choking until the world finally stops spinning. The last thing he sees out of the corner of his eye is Seungwoo’s coat taking off like a parachute and being sent to another dimension.

“No! You can take away anything from me, just not the jacket please...” but he had reacted too late.

Hangyul sighs sadly and observes his surroundings for the first time. What should have struck him was the fact that he was sitting in an exact mirror of his prairie, just without the reds, oranges, yellows, and greens. What he focuses on is the monochrome aspect of the world that sours his mood even more and puts him on the verge of tears.  _ What is this place and why am I here _ ?

“Hey, why are you sad? You said you wanted a friend so I took you here to play with me.”

Hangyul shuffles back on his butt with a gasp. Staring back at him was… Gaeguli? Looking at him with utmost seriousness as if talking frogs were not a peculiar phenomenon at all.

Hangyul sputters and fumbles with his next words, “Well yeah I did- but- well- I didn’t really think-”

“Come on! I bet you’re thinking that this place looks awfully bleak, am I right? Which is why we’re going to paint it colorful ourselves!” Gaeguli voices with an enthusiasm that usually wouldn’t be able to be expressed without hand gestures. 

Hangyul looks at Gaeguli’s webbed toes and chuckles softly. Whatever, he might as well go with it while he’s there, “Now how do we do that Gaeguli?”

“Did you know that you have three fairy godmothers with the gift to control color? I bet that’s why you love colors so much. You surely were raised well as a kid,” Gaeguli says and Hangyul is hooked onto the frog’s voice. There is something comforting and familiar about it, engaging him in a tale that seemed so real but too good to be true at the same time. Gaeguli hops off into the prairie and Hangyul scampers to keep up with the surprisingly speedy animal.

“But the thing is, how do you know how I was like as a kid?” Hangyuls asks as he skips next to Gaeguli into a forest behind the prairie that he never even knew existed.

“There are a lot of things I know about you as a kid,” Gaeguli replies bluntly and Hangyul just nods his head in agreeance. Sure, makes sense.

They pass by a particularly large tree that Hangyul rests his palm on. A surge of energy courses through his arm and he recoils in shock. He takes a long glance at the tree and is absolutely sure that he has some strong connection to it even though he has never seen the tree before, but alas, he tears his eyes away and continues to follow Gaeguli.

“There.”

Hangyul is abruptly halted as he slams into a tall body. But that’s unreasonable because it’s simply impossible to slam into a frog not even a tenth of the size of himself. So he takes a few steps back to see three baby faces he could never ever forget.

Blue Junho, green Minhee, and cherry red Eunsang. Three lovely neighborhood kids who played with him when he was growing up in the orphanage. The only kids who accepted him for who he was as a person.

“You guys are my fairy godmothers? When did you all grow taller than me?” The biggest smile breaks out across Hangyul’s face. He will never admit how much he missed the children and he isn’t going question for what special occasion the boys are surprising him either. He’ll take whatever he can get and live in the moment.

A chaotic and disorganized round of greetings and hugs ensues. It’s after Hangyul is released from the human sandwich they formed that Hangyul asks almost insecurely, worried that he’s being too childish or foolish, “We’re actually here to color the forest, right?”

He’s expecting a “no, magic isn’t real” response, but Minhee kindly answers him, “Of course we are! Although, you never were really good at painting by numbers when we were young.”

Hangyul visibly relaxes enough to begin teasing his childhood friend, “You’re one to talk Minhee. You’re in charge of the color green? That’s not even a primary color!”

Minhee lightly slaps Hangyul’s forehead, but Hangyul isn’t fazed. Minhee has always been the one who acted like he was older than Hangyul.

“You’re underestimating the power of the color green in the face of forests.”

Minhee whips out a wand from some bottomless pockets and with a flick, the leaves on all of the trees are pulsing with life. Hangyul’s widen and twinkle while Minhee leans against a tree with a smug expression.

“But what if… I wanted it to look like Autumn?” 

Eunsang, always the most sentimental and loving (lovable) one of the kids, attaches himself to Hangyul’s arm, “Let’s go deeper in the forest then. We’ll paint the leaves red!”

Hangyul barely has the time to use his other arm to pull Junho along before Eunsang is running off. Minhee, appalled that he had been left behind, sprints after them ready to attack.

Color is being thrown everywhere and Hangyul feels like he’s young again. He’ll point at a passing bird and squeal in delight when Junho colors it a beautiful blue. Clap like a seal when Eunsang colors a squirrel a vibrant red. And of course, the two of them work together to create a purple bunny for Hangyul (because according to him, when you have the power to color the world to your liking, why wouldn’t you color a bunny purple?).

Each newly colored critter seems to form a magnetic attraction to Hangyul and fall into a dance around him. Now, Hangyul isn’t usually the prancing around-spin a few pirouettes dancer, but for mother nature, he can always sacrifice. They dance and dance, on and on until their bodies are warmed up and faces are flushed. Eunsang, ever the romantic, takes the initiative to touch the apples of Hangyul’s cheeks with his wand one, two times to turn him even redder.

“This must be what our Hangyul-hyung looks like when he’s in love,” he teases.

Hangyul sticks his tongue out at Eunsang, but also proceeds to sing out, “I know you, I walked with you...”

“... Once upon a dream.”

Now that voice is a voice that Hangyul could recognize anywhere. The voice of his best friend when he was in high school.

Yohan was Hangyul’s best friend, unfortunately, Hangyul never got to know if he was Mr. Congeniality’s. Yohan was the popular boy who associated himself with every single friend group, so it’s unsure whether he actually knows the names of everyone he talks to. Hangyul liked to think that the many hours they spent together talking about Hangyul’s struggles would be enough to make him memorable, even after Yohan left him behind to pursue a career that exploited his beautiful vocals.

Hangyul peeks past a few tree trunks and sure enough, Yohan is standing there, waiting for him with open arms, asking for him to be his best friend.

_ Ribbit _ .

“Looks like you’re tired, but I’m glad you’re happy. We still have many more fun activities to go, but for now, let’s just walk together shall we?”

Hmm. He forgot about Gaeguli while he was playing earlier.

Yohan’s voice shouts to him from afar, “Hey, don’t walk away! I don’t have to be a stranger. My name’s Yohan, how about you tell me yours?”

Of course. Hangyul lets his heart be broken for a split second before he has to pick his own pieces up and glue them together. It’s okay, he has a bright day ahead of him.

“My name is Michael! And I’m not sixteen years old anymore! You don’t need to come fight dragons for me!” Hangyul laughs at his own wittiness and looks at Gaeguli who seems to be looking after him sympathetically.

“Whisk me away, Gaeguli.”

Hangyul doesn’t know for how long he has been walking, but he knows that it has been enough distance for the forest trees to begin morphing into vegetation that would be more suitable to grow in tropical jungles. He also knows that the change in scenery doesn’t exactly make biological sense; perhaps it is a swamp.  _ Nah _ , a happy vine curls around his waist and transports him closer to Gaeguli who had been hopping a few meters ahead of him.  _ Definitely a jungle _ , Hangyul gratefully thanks the vine for the slight push as it swings back to where it came from.

Gaeguli stops to check up on how Hangyul is doing, blinking its gigantic eyes at how flushed Hangyul’s face is.

“Hey, can you stop doing that?”

Gaeguli blinks, “Doing what?”

“ _ That _ , blinking thing. It’s creepy.”

Gaeguli offers an eye smile and Hangyul can’t help but think that Gaeguli really reminds him of someone he knows. But who?

“You must be tired, aren’t you?” Gaeguli asks, changing the subject.

Hangyul’s legs had been sore for a while, stomach cramping. Clearly he had a much harder time adjusting to the change in environment in comparison to the amphibian who was probably indigenous to the jungle. However, he didn’t exactly want to tell Gaeguli that, afraid that the frog would be hurt by his lack of appreciation towards how hard Gaeguli was trying to make him have fun. And he is having fun. The sky is such a pretty flurry of pinks and blues it looks like a candy blanket touching water.

Nibbling his lips between his lips, Hangyul contemplates before choosing to answer honestly, “Yeah, a bit. I guess I haven’t been working out much lately.”

“Just look ahead of you.”

Hangyul lifts his head as told and his eyes sparkle.  _ Water _ . A massive riverbed flows before him with the daintiest miniature boat floating atop it. A boat that looks to be custom-made to fit just him.

Letting out a hearty laugh, Hangyul turns to Gaeguli, “So it turns out that I’m more than just a bit tired. I’m tired to the point that I’m seeing oases!”

Gaeguli leaps onto the boat and Hangyul follows after. Underestimating his weight, Hangyul loses his balance and nearly turns the entire boat over, but he flops in miraculously. He sits up straight and dusts the embarrassment off his back before putting his hand on the boat and looking into the crystal clear water. The only evidence of his little mishap earlier is a small ripple in the water, the boat itself barely rocks.

Noticing the lack of paddles around the boat, Hangyul asks, “Gaeguli-ah, this boat doesn’t do what I think it does, does it?”

“This boat can do whatever you dream for it to do.”

Hangyul delicately dips the tips of fingers into the river. One splash, two splashes and his hand is being removed from the water as the boat levitates and takes off into the sky.

“Woah-ho!” Hangyul shakes with laughter and awe. He opens his mouth into a giant grin and lets out another peel of laughter as winds enter mouth and cause his cheeks to flap. He sings into the air and giggles at the way his voice comes out, reverberating the way it would if he sung into a fan.

Hangyul musters up the courage to overcome his slight fear of heights and look down at the Earth below. Bewildered is the only word to describe his reaction. What he expects is a rather rustic view of the Korea he lived in and what he got-

“A whole new world,” Gaeguli completes Hangyul’s thought and places a wet foot on his kneecap. Gaeguli does a funnily charming waving gesture towards the ground and Hangyul can’t help but giggle.

He doesn’t know what comes over him, but Hangyul is suddenly worried that the wind will blow his tiny companion away so he cups Gaeguli into his palm and lifts the frog to his head, near eye-level.

“There, now I can ensure that you won’t fly away by accident and that you’re seeing the same beautiful view as I am.”

A little shriek is ripped out of Hangyul’s body as the flying boat he is boarding dips down like a rollercoaster car down a railroad track and they head straight towards the tip of a western-looking castle. The pressure around Gaeguli’s body tightens but Hangyul makes sure not to squish the frog by accident. Besides, he trusts the boat not to intentionally crash its passengers into such precious architecture.

Hangyul briefly waves his free hand at what he assumes to be a pixie resting atop the castle and then hollers at the top of his lungs, “Magic ship!  _ Take me to the sea _ !” 

Exhilaration makes Hangyul strange.

The boat apparently relishes in Hangyul’s strangeness though, and evolves into what Hangyul can only describe as his dream caravel, complete with triangular lateen sails, steering him towards his destination. All together, Hangyul, Gaeguli, and the ship dive into a cloud and by the time they come out, beneath them is open water. 

With the fresh ocean breeze flowing through his air pipes, Hangyul breathes, “Let’s go down. Into the water. We can lay there and rest for awhile.”

The ship slowly descends to sea level, rocking back and forth in a motion that doesn’t cause sea sickness but rather lulls Hangyul into a sleep like a hammock. His eyes feel heavier and maybe he really is more drained from the day’s activities than he originally thought, even more so after the surprise ship ride, so he allows himself to take a nap. His vision becomes blurrier by the second and doesn’t take note of the shadowy black figure that enters his sight as he drifts off to sleep, Gaeguli curled close to his body like a plushie.

“Hangyul-ah.”

Hangyul abruptly sits up and looks in the direction of the voice that called his name. Approaching him from a draft is Kim Wooseok. High school ulzzang Kim Wooseok who Hangyul used to always confide in until Wooseok quite literally dissipated into thin air. Wooseok always carried a mysterious and secretive vibe around him. Hangyul just never imagined that in the middle of the ocean was where he would disappear to.

“Oh! Wooseok! I remember- wait- what? Are you doing here? Have you been stranded this whole time with no one to help or reach out to-”

“Calm down Hangyul-ah. I’ve been out here traveling for my own purposes.”

Now Hangyul has always thought that he had a low pitched voice, but Wooseok’s voice was surprisingly deep in a manner that could turn any question or statement into a command. Hangyul’s mouth forms an ‘o’ shape and he has no other choice but to accept Wooseok’s words without pressing further.

At that moment, Gaeguli jumps from out of his hands onto Wooseok’s face. Hangyul lunges forward, but is ultimately unable to catch the frog.

“Oh dear! Wooseok, I’m so sorry-”

Wooseok sends him a thin smirk that implies that he’s fine with the little companion and Hangyul ducks his head awkwardly.

“Wooseok, it must get lonely out here in the ocean for you,” Hangyul attempts to chat.

Plucking the frog off of the bridge of his nose, Wooseok purses his lips and stares at the amphibian, “I see you’re still not using your honorifics.”

“ _ Hyung _ .”

Wooseok waves off Hangyul’s whine, “I’m just teasing you Hangyul-ah. Besides, with you here, I’m no longer lonely, aren’t I? In fact, you could just accompany for my travels and I’d never be lonely.”

Hangyul feels a small burst of pride knowing that he is finally someone that Wooseok can confide in if he were to have any worries.

He remains humble when he replies, “Surely, you must have somebody, somewhere, maybe back home, waiting for you.”

“Oh no, I don’t.”

They’re a simple four words of denial, but Hangyul sees clearly with his pair of nearly blind eyes, how Wooseok’s dainty nose extends to the length of a bo staff and crosses into Hangyul’s ship. Gaeguli walks across Wooseok’s nose as if he’s walking a plank and drops back by Hangyul’s side. Hangyul pets the frog’s slick back; at least he can find some amusement in the situation thanks to his lovely companion. Wooseok rushes to use his tiny hand to pull his nose back to regular length but what’s done is done.

Hangyul can still bear to pretend nothing had happened, “Oh but I do. I must go back to where I came from at some point in time, so I’m afraid we’re going to have to part ways now. I wish you the best of luck in finding a better partner, Wooseok-hyung.”

Lowering his voice to a whisper, Hangyul turns his attention to his ship, “Magic ship, fly me away.”

Water flows over small particles of dirt and sand at yet another biome Hangyul and Gaeguli are brought to by the magic ship. Gingerly, they step out of the boat and say their thanks to continue their journey on foot.

“I apologize for what happened back there.”

Hangyul looks at Gaeguli who seems to have lost the beat in its hop.

“Why do you have to apologize? I mean I guess Wooseok probably preferred to have you accompany him on his voyages, but it's not like I would let that happen. You have so many more places you have to show me!” 

The gloom never seems to leave Gaeguli, which leaves Hangyul feeling similarly sad. Nevertheless Gaeguli continues to lead Hangyul to another playground just as he had done before, “Come this way princess.”

Hangyul grimaces at the name and fakes a vomiting gesture which this time brings joy back to Gaeguli. The wheels are turning in Hangyul’s head as he attempts to come up with more vulgar jokes to restore their happiness, but he’s quickly distracted by the roses rising from the ground. Red roses are the most romantic of roses, but Hangyul loves vibrant colors, more ecstatic at the pink, purple, and champagne roses that dotted the area. 

Hangyul notices that one of the red roses seems more wilted than the rest. He walks up to caress a significantly darkened petal and watches as the flower revitalates right before his eyes. Giddy, he is ready to tell Gaeguli about his newfound superpowers, but is cut off by the sight of a magnificent home. It’s not a mansion, but it’s still unlike anything Hangyul’s ever seen before. The homely home was pristine and clearly carried influence from the Renaissance.

Suddenly the doors of the house swing open, hitting the front walls and creating a loud thud. Hangyul takes the action as an invitation inside.

“Gaeguli, let’s go in!”

Gaeguli, for whatever strange reason, doesn’t look keen on entering the pretty house, but Hangyul’s already in too deep. He’s already spent his fair share of time admiring the stained glass windows, the ancient lettered books, the intricate paintings on the wall, and though he certainly has a handful of other rooms to see, he stands in front of the two grand doors at the end of the hallway he had run down. The grand doors indicate that the room behind is the heart of the house, the most impressive component, and Hangyul is waiting like a kid before Christmas to unlock it.

Once again the doors swing open to welcome Hangyul themselves, revealing a dining room. Of course, the heart and the stomach are one.

Hangyul counts the eleven chairs around a long rectangular table, five chairs on each long side with one massive throne farthest from where Hangyul is standing at the short side of the table. Each seat has a name tag, but six of them have been scratched out by what appears to be wolf claws. Hangyul reads aloud the few words he can recognize, “Tony… Dongpyo… Michael… Evan… Hyeongjun...”

“Gaeguli, I feel like I’m trespassing. None of the seats were meant for me to sit on.”

Gaeguli hops onto the dining table and makes the long way to the biggest chair of the room and Hangyul almost screams as he watches the frog barely dodge the beautiful dining ware.

“Really, have you already forgotten that you told Yohan your name was Michael? News travels fast.” 

Hangyul blushes because first of all, maybe he was a pretty forgetful person and so what? Second of all, he didn’t even know that Gaeguli was aware of his interaction with Yohan, moreover knew who Yohan was. 

Hangyul bashfully makes his way to the throne-like chair. He allows his fingers to trace the velvety fabric of the chair that is much more expensive than anything he’d ever be able to afford. He, slow as a sloth, lowers himself into the chair, still unable to fathom that good things could be made for him. 

The second his backside touches the chair, the entire dining table explodes and shoots up through the roof and into the sky as a firework. Hangyul, still shocked by the sudden explosion, had just plopped back into the chair when a standing lamp slides its way over to cover Hangyul with a napkin. By the time the lamp leaves, a replacement table is set up in front of Hangyul and if he had thought the previous table was beautiful, the new one is a million times more. The new table is exactly Hangyul’s style with cute and almost cartoonish plates and cups, all full of color. He particularly likes the asymmetrical teapot that shouldn’t have been able to hold any tea without the liquid spilling out, but Hangyul’s learned that since the morning, science hadn’t mattered.

Just then, the grand doors of the dining room slam open. But the harsh movement doesn’t cause the lights to flicker. Instead, the light illuminates the figure standing at the door and Hangyul couldn’t have been more ecstatic to see who it was.

“Hey baby, I thought you would enjoy something like this.”

“Seungyoun-hyung!” Hangyul screams.

The two co-workers called each other strange pet names that really had no substance. Lately, Hangyul had been worried that his friendship with Seungyoun was strained so hearing the name actually brought him much comfort.

Seungyoun struts over like a model on a catwalk and Hangyul suddenly feel really underdressed compared to Seungyoun’s suit that he had never seen before. Seungyoun stops at the seat labelled ‘Evan’ right next to Hangyul and sits down. While Hangyul doesn’t think too much about it (Seungyoun had too many names he used for different occupations that Hangyul didn’t bother to remember them, instead always regarding Seungyoun as his faithful hyung), Gaeguli thought otherwise.

The frog jumps onto Hangyul’s shoulder and whispers, “I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

Hangyul whispers back while looking at the darkened sky from their now open-roof dining room, “Why? This is the perfect way to end the day. I was so looking forward to eating yummy food.”

“What was that?” Seungyoun’s voice forces Hangyul to snap his neck back from where he was looking.

“Ah… nothing. I’m just really thankful to you guys for preparing so much for me.”

“You guys?” Seungyoun’s face is skeptical, but Hangyul just replies a “yeah!” paired with one of his adorable smiles and Seungyoun doesn’t press further.

“If that’s so, take a bite of this,” Seungyoun says handing Hangyul a piece of bread. Hangyul reaches a hand out to take the food but Seungyoun swipes the hand away and pulls Hangyul’s chin forward to feed the bread directly into Hangyul’s mouth.

Gaeguli jumps from his spot on Hangyul’s shoulder, so Hangyul, with his mouth still full of bread, shouts, “Ahgmmf-! I’m so sorry!”

Gaeguli comes back carrying a knife stabbed into a slice of well cooked steak and Hangyul slightly marvels at the incredible strength the frog has and slightly finds the image ridiculous at the same time. It takes a moment for Hangyul to fully process that Gaeguli wants him to be fed by the frog the same way Seungyoun had done, but when he does, he laughs and sends Seungyoun a sheepish look. Hangyul leans his head down to take the meat between his teeth and comes back up chewing happily. 

“Is this a let’s feed Hangyul day that I was unaware of?”

“Maybe,” Seungyoun says simply with some pasta already rolled around a fork in his hand and Hangyul really isn’t complaining.

When Hangyul finally feels like his tummy can’t contain anymore food, he claps like a seal and thanks his two companions once again.

“It’s nothing, Hangyul. Come on, let’s go outside and look at the stars to digest our dinner.”

Hangyul points a finger at the sky above them and says childishly, “We can see the stars right here!”

Seungyoun just shakes his head fondly, “I know but I have a fountain outside that you should see.”

Hangyul is ready to go ahead and agree but he coincidently locks eyes with Gaeguli and something about the frog is telling him to stay put and not go anywhere. The message Gaeguli sends through his eyes makes Hangyul shiver.

“You go first, I’ll stay here and clean up the plates.”

“You know you don’t have to right? The plates will clean up themselves.”

“But Seungyoun hyung,” Hangyul whines, “You also know me. I love to make extra jobs for myself to make my life difficult!”

Hangyul sends a dazzling smile over and Seungyoun just shrugs, “Okay, weirdo,” and heads outside alone.

True to Seungyoun’s words, the walking plates and cups and utensils, clean themselves up on their own and slink away back to the various cupboards to which they belong, so Hangyul takes his time to talk to his companion, “What’s up Gaeguli? Jealous that someone else has prepared something nice for me on what was supposed to be our bonding trip?”

The frog looks at him sadly and Hangyul truly gets a little worried, “I mean yes I am jealous, but there’s something you need to know.”

Hangyul waits for the frog to continue, but when it doesn’t, he asks softly, “What is it?”

“I’m not the one who has been creating your itinerary in this magical world. I didn’t prepare these meals for you. You created it for yourself.”

Hangyul undoubtedly shows his confusion.

“Here, your mind creates whatever you want to happen. All of your likings and happinesses are shown through what scenarios you put yourself in, but at the same time, all of your worries and fears are shown as well. I am nothing but your guide that keeps the stressful and scary things from reaching you.”

The last part Gaeguli whispers, “But I think you’re so afraid of being lonely and unhappy that you’re willing to stay in this world and never go back to your home. And so you’ll allow yourself to offer your life to one of these eating utensils to stay here forever.”

Hangyul gasps, because that part he does understand, “Oh, Gaeguli! That’s not true! I do want to return home!”

“Then I’m going to have to find a portal or a hole to send you through.”

Hangyul thinks with his brows furrowed, “... Well...”

“Well...” Gaeguli repeats.

“Well, what?”

“Well!”

“What well?”

“The well!”

Hangyul stares at the frog for a good minute before muttering, “You dumb frog, that isn’t even a well. It’s a  _ fountain _ .”

Nevertheless, the two follow where Seungyoun was seen headed to find that there really is a beautiful fountain there. Under the moonlight, Seungyoun almost doesn’t look like himself, resembling something like a werewolf. Hangyul takes a deep breath and says, “Let’s go.”

“You go, I’m staying here.”

Hangyul once again looks like a kicked puppy, “Do you need me to kiss you so that you turn into a prince and follow me or something?”

Gaeguli just shakes its head sadly, “Gyullie, just go.”

Hangyul passes one last glance at the frog and jumps body first into the wet fountain. A second before Hangyul's head submerges into the water, he sees Seungyoun's glowing yellow eyes staring at him.

Then he's falling down one of those long falls before one wakes up from a nightmare feeling like they just had their souls sucked out of them.

One of the first things that Hangyul realizes when he wakes up is that his back is sore. Groaning, he slowly blinks open his eyes to observe his surroundings. He is in his room. Hanging on the chair pushed against the study desk is a coat that is completely out of his style. Because it isn’t his to begin with; it is Seungwoo’s coat. Hangyul scoots up to the white wall that the slightly deflated mattress he had been laying on is against.

So is everything he experienced before a dream or not? Seungwoo’s coat had supposedly been lost in transit between the two worlds but if the previous day had not happened, then the jacket wouldn’t be there either. Hangyul tilts his head to the side in confusion. It is too early to be thinking about anything like that.

Hangyul cuddles himself back in bed and takes note of the lump next to him. He honestly doesn’t know if he can stand talking to Seungyoun again after that strange dream-but-not-dream encounter. Sighing, he forgets about it and buries his face into his roommate’s resting back, wrapping his arms around said roommate’s waist. This is his co-worker that he’d risk his life for.

“You awake, Gyullie? What are you doing over there?”

Hangyul immediately lets go of the body and nearly flips the man off the mattress, because his roommate’s voice does not sound like that and nobody has ever called him Gyullie before except for… Seungwoo?

Seungwoo laughs and offers an apologetic smile, “Sorry for scaring you. I guess I was just passing by and visiting you in your dream,” he rubs an awkward hand on the nape of his neck, “Then, I got carried away and fell asleep too because you were warm, so… come back here, please?”

Seungwoo opens his arms in welcome and Hangyul slowly makes his way over. Not that he doesn’t trust Seungwoo or anything because he really really wants to be in the man’s arms, more than he’d ever admit, but what do his words even mean and why is he being so unlike the usual polite Seungwoo, not saying that Seungwoo isn’t currently being polite, but he’s more suggestive than usual-

Hangyul cuts his own thought process off and crawls on the mattress, sliding himself perfectly into Seungwoo’s side and notes pleasantly that they fit like puzzle pieces.

There is a frown sitting on Seungwoo’s face after Hangyul cuddles into him and Hangyul is left feeling uncertain, “What’s wrong? Are you alright? Did I do something? Do you need me to-”

“I’m sorry.”

Hangyul furrows his brows in confusion, running his hand down Seungwoo’s arm, “Why are you sorry? There’s nothing you have to be sorry for.”

Seungwoo sighs and looks down at his hand that was touching Hangyul’s by the slightest, intertwining them together, “I’m sorry that I never have time for you.”

Now, Hangyul still doesn’t know whether the strange events he had witnessed a while ago happened or not, but he tests the waters by asking, “Seungwoo, is this about the morning you came for pie? Because-”

“I’m sorry I keep bothering you for breakfast too.”

“Shush!” Hangyul slaps a finger over Seungwoo’s mouth and lean his head on Seungwoo’s chest, “As I was saying, I don’t care if you don’t spend too much time with me because every moment with you is precious enough.”

The end of Seungwoo’s mouth is upturned into a small smile, but it masks a hidden emotion, “I’m still sorry. I know that you have feelings for me but I just keep pushing you back because of my timing. I can tell that you’ve been wanting to go out on a date and I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to give that to you.” 

Hearing that Hangyul’s cheeks reddened and he squeaks out, “I- what?”

“Unless I’ve been reading that wrong,” Seungwoo is quick to take back his words.

“No, no, no,” Hangyul shakes his head, blushing, “I just- didn’t know I was that obvious.”

Seungwoo smiles endearingly at him and pats his head.

“I have something to ask you for and hope you don’t hate me too much.”

Hangyul rolls his eyes, “Hyung, how many times will I have to tell you that you did nothing wrong and that I could never ever hate you.”

Hangyul is glad that he could finally make Seungwoo smile genuinely and laugh about how stubborn each of them are.

“Let us have our prolonged date right here, right now. You could let me help out in the kitchen. Teach me how to bake. Please say yes?”

Hangyul guffaws incredulously, his mood becoming better in a second, “That sounds wonderful. Of course I’ll say yes.”

“Good. I wasn’t going to give you another option anyways.”

They bask in each other’s warmth for a moment longer because as much as both of them want to do exciting activities on a date, they are much too comfortable to get up from their positions. Seungwoo’s thin fingers brush Hangyul’s hair, curling a few strands behind the boy’s ears while Hangyul unconsciously draws patterns on Seungwoo’s hips.

Leaning down to Hangyul’s ear, Seungwoo speaks quietly, not necessarily whispering, but talking softly enough to let Hangyul understand that there is an intimacy and sincerity to what he is about to say, “Gyullie, you know that I would never forget about you right? I’ll never lie to you, never make you feel lonely, never hurt you. I’ll be the best companion you could ever ask for.”

“Seungwoo hyung, I already know that you’re the best companion I could ever ask for. You sound like you’re reciting all of my worries as a kid.”

“There are a lot of things I know about you as a kid.”

Staring blankly at Seungwoo’s face, Hangyul feels like a piece of his head finally clicks into place. Those words that were spoken by a familiar voice he heard once upon a dream, a dream that may not have been a dream at all. There’s some sort of mystery behind the look in Seungwoo’s eyes and smug smirk. But Hangyul doesn’t bother asking about it because sure, makes sense.

“ _ Once upon a time, a prince had been cursed for being to greedy for money.  _

_ He was forced to live a life opposite to normal civilians.  _

_ While the people were sleeping, the prince was awake and while the people were awake, the prince was sleeping.  _

_ Like this, the prince wandered alone until he met a night owl.  _

_ If he were able to cure the night owl’s own loneliness, then his life would revert to the way it was before. _ ”

A shrill bell rings, indicating that class is about to start. A kindergarten Seungyoun begins to unpack the various workbooks required for class while his friend Hangyul whines next to him, “No! Continue the story, please?”

“Hangyul, the teacher will come in any minute!”

The young Hangyul, ever the daydreamer who preferred to think about his future soulmate instead of paying attention to class, pokes earnestly at his friend’s arm, “At least tell me this, Seungyoun-hyung. Are they going to live happily ever after?”

“Of course, my dear. Of course.”

Satisfied with the answer, Hangyul rests his head on his arm back at his own table and sighs. He lazily flips through his workbook, much more entranced by the frog stickers on the book than the content. One day, Hangyul hopes that he will have his own happily ever after.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lovey-dovey date that was supposed to be included but for some reason got scrapped from the original work.

Seungwoo carries Hangyul the rest of the way down the stairs and into the kitchen area, bumping into every possible counter and surface on his path there.

A gorgeous laugh erupts from Hangyul’s mouth after he is nearly slammed into the fridge before settling down on the ground, “Be patient and take it slow, hyung.”

Hangyul guides the two of them over two the sink, “Always wash your hands first.”

Pressing down on the soap dispenser, a fresh scent fills the room. 

“You wash your hands with laundry detergent?”

“No!” Hangyul yells while slapping Seungwoo’s arm, “I just like the way it smells so I try to buy soaps that smell similar...” Hangyul’s voice gradually fades as he realizes his explanation is going nowhere. He turns away in embarrassment. 

In the plethora of aromas, Hangyul spins and gradually fills a basket with bags of graham flour and all purpose flour from various racks of dry ingredients placed around. 

He handpicks several spices while calling out to Seungwoo, “Don’t be useless and help me gather some granulated cane sugar and dark brown sugar, will you? But don’t get them mixed up!”

Seungwoo snickers at Hangyul’s reminder, “I think I’d be able to tell the difference.”

Hangyul teases while he is about to grab his cold ingredients, “You can never be too sure...” 

Jostling them in his large hands, Hangyul takes out eight eggs all at once and balances them on a counter. Carefully, he stacks his containers of sour cream, cream cheese, and butter on top of each other; then, he places a can of sweetened condensed milk on the side. Several pans of ingredients mysteriously covered in saran wrap catch Hangyul’s eyes, so he tries as inconspicuously as he can to unwrap them and shove them into the oven.

A slam, “What was that?”

Hangyul giggles and fiddles with some knobs, “Preheating the oven for later!” 

He returns to where he had been organizing at the fridge and considers bringing out the heavy cream as well, but decides against it, another idea instilling in his head, “Oh, hyung!”

Starled, Seungwoo lifts his head, “Yes, Gyullie?”

Hangyul excitedly prances over to a door at the back of the kitchen.

“This, I need to show you… my safe haven.”

Hangyul walks Seungwoo down the same flowery path he had chased Gaeguli down in his dream.

“Here… is where I keep all of my plots.”

Hangyul is insanely proud of himself as he skips over rectangles of recently plowed land. A tiny bridge stands above an equally tiny river that Hangyul keeps for irrigation. Hangyul crosses the bridge with feathery steps, in search of the large tree that had spoken to him before. Sure enough, it is there.

“You even have your own baobab tree?”

Hangyul who originally had his back faced towards Seungwoo, twirls around. Seeing Hangyul with a background of a flurry of green, Seungwoo feels like he’s young in love again. Hangyul, on the other hand, stares deeply into Seungwoo’s eyes in an attempt to uncover Seungwoo’s secret.

“I didn’t know I had one either… Glad that you recognize the species because I surely didn’t.”

Seungwoo gulps, intimidated and feeling exposed for no reason. Hangyul laughs and everything is alright again, “I’m just messing with you! I really just wanted to show you around.”

Seungwoo walks to the empty space next to Hangyul and envelops him into a hug. Seungwoo extends an arm out to stroke the bark of the tree.

“Everything about your garden is so pretty. Just like you.”

Hangyul’s cheeks turn florid like the poppies and freesias that cover the ground and Seungwoo formulates an idea in his head. 

“Gyullie, let’s make flower chains.”

As Seungwoo drags Hangyul to the region where most vibrant flowers are prospering, Hangyul clumsily trips over his own feet, and, Seungwoo throws the both of them into the soft embrace of the meadow. Seungwoo quickly holds Hangyul close and pulls him into the safety of his own lap.

Nuzzling his chin into the crook of Hangyul’s neck, Seungwoo asks, “Are you okay, baby?” Receiving a shy smile and a nod of a head from Hangyul, Seungwoo picks up the closest bunch of lavenders, “Let’s start then.”

Hangyul makes himself comfortable in Seungwoo’s lap, and, with his long, adept fingers, he begins to string together a geranium and then a poppy… a tulip and then a carnation… a hyacinth and then a wild indigo…

Looking over and seeing Hangyul’s satisfaction with his increasingly long chain of flowers puts an automatic smile onto Seungwoo’s face. He takes the end of his own chain to combine with Hangyul’s into an even longer sequence, long enough to cover the circumference of Hangyul’s wide hips. The colors of the flower combination contrasts against the pure white shirt that Hangyul had been wearing, “Would you look at that? It’s a rainbow!”

Hangyul claps his hands giddily while Seungwoo acquiesces in his statement. Seungwoo puts a sturdy hand under Hangyul’s armpit to stand the both of them up. No longer on the ground, Seungwoo pats at Hangyul’s backside, both to help dust off the stray grasses that stuck to him and to simply touch the plump muscle. Once again, Hangyul slaps Seungwoo’s arm taking their flower chain and stomping off. 

“Wait- wait!” Seungwoo chuckles breathlessly while stopping Hangyul from straying too far from the baobab tree. 

Seungwoo takes the flower chain from Hangyuls grip and braids it around a branch of the tree.

“Legend says,” Seungwoo starts, “that misfortune will come to anyone who cuts down or mistreats a tree encircled by a magical rope.”

The glint in Hangyul’s eye tells Seungwoo that the boy is absolutely fascinated by what he is saying until rain descends on the couple in the garden. At first it’s a single droplet that attaches to the arch of Hangyul’s brow like morning dew clings onto the surface of leaves. Gradually, the pitter-pattering intensifies so that water is pelting on their skin like bullets. The morning sky has ashened to the dull grey kind of color that signifies an impending spring hurricane. Fast on his feet, Hangyul fits Seungwoo’s hand into his and runs to bring the both of them to the nearest dry spot. Hangyul’s back hits thin trunk of another tree while Seungwoo presses his chest against Hangyul’s, hovering over him. Hangyul encircles a protective arm around Seungwoo’s waist to ensure the man doesn’t get wet. Then, Hangyul observes their surroundings.

They have found refuge under a lemon tree to wait until the rain turns into a drizzle, to which Hangyul thinks is the perfect coincidence.

The raindrops that fall rapidly in front of Seungwoo and Hangyul may blur their vision, but the clearly xanthic color of the small bulbous lemons is displayed to them perspicuously. 

Hangyul harvests a handful of the tiny fruit into his arms, “Seungwoo, look at this! Lemons!”

Seungwoo laughs and takes a share of the piling fruit into his own arms to lessen Hangyul’s load, “You’re planning on using them for pie?”

Nodding his head vigorously, Hangyul passionately explains, “Yes, definitely! You have to harvest and use them when they’re at this exact color. Letting the lemons ripen further until they turn ill will result in a bitter filling,” Hangyul lifts one of the lemons in between his and Seungwoo’s faces, “Cute, right?”

This time, Hangyul is sure that Seungwoo’s eyes flicker down to the bow of his upper lip, “Yeah… adorable.”

Before Hangyul can make any rash action, Seungwoo reaches a free arm behind him to avert his attention and feels that the rain has lessened, “Time to put your cute lemons to use and run back to the kitchen-”

Laughing jubilantly, they break out into a sprint and reenter the kitchen sporting damp sets of hair.

Seungwoo decides to shake the water out of his long bangs like a dog, causing Hangyul to shriek and throw a tea towel in his direction, “No! Don’t contaminate the food, hyung!”

“Sorry, babe,” Seungwoo unapologetically winks at Hangyul, but also considerately heads to the sink to wash his hands, “Is this better?”

Hangyul beams and shows him a thumbs up, “Great habit! Now I can teach you how to make pie crusts.”

“Really? Is that my only reward?” Seungwoo questions earnestly.

Hangyul playfully rolls his eyes, “You don’t get rewards for doing what you should be doing on a normal basis.”

Swiftly, Hangyul brushes past Seungwoo to tie on an apron, leaving Seungwoo disappointed. Hangyul takes a long look at all of the small glass bowls and measuring cups displayed in front of him before turning to face Seungwoo again.

“You know, making a pie crust for lemon meringue pies really isn’t difficult at all. It’s all mixing, there’s almost no technique to it.”

Seungwoo tilts his head slightly in contemplation, “So what you’re implying is that it’s the perfect job for me to do.”

Hangyul covers his mouth to stifle a laugh, but nods his head ‘yes’. Shrugging his shoulders, Seungwoo moves to combine the ingredients that Hangyul has prepared for the pie crust. One cup of graham flour, half a cup of flour, a quarter cup of dark brown sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon, all into a giant bowl.

Hangyul then hands Seungwoo a portion of butter and a simple pie tin, “The butter for the crust should be melted by a double-boiler. When you’re adding it back into the dry ingredient mixture, all you need to do is form a well in the middle and gradually add in butter. When you’re finished, you can pack it in to the tin.”

Seungwoo nods his head in understanding and heads over to the stove with a pot of water. Turning the stove to a low heat, he places the bowl of butter above the water and waits patiently. Meanwhile, slowly entering his comfort zone, Hangyul begins to work on preparing his eggs and lemons. Single-handedly, Hangyul cracks all eight eggs and expertly separates the whites from the yolks. 

Hangyul lifts up the bowl containing all yolks and watches, entranced, as the chrome yellow mounds move slightly along with him, calling out, “My yolks jiggle!”

From his position at the stove, Seungwoo just shakes his head, “You find the strangest things entertaining, babe.”

Flushing Hangyul replies, “I know, but it’s really cute...” He then slides over the bowl containing egg whites in Seungwoo’s direction, “I actually like to add egg whites to my pie crust for stability. However, it’s been raining pretty hard today so I think the air is moist enough to not need extra liquid in the crust. Keep this with you just in case.”

Moving on, Hangyul thoroughly washes and dries off his many collected lemons. Grabbing his handy zester, he zests off the outermost layer of each lemon’s skin, careful not to add into the pile any areas of the lemons that may taste bitter to the tongue. His next kitchen gadget is a simple knife- nothing too fancy for the lemons are very small- that he uses to cut each lemon. The moment he finishes juicing the lemons is around the same as when Seungwoo finishes arranging one pie crust.

Undeniably proud of his product, Seungwoo reports to Hangyul, “I have the pie crust! Now, we bake it for twenty minutes, right?”

The moment Hangyul has been waiting for, he cannot stop the giggles flowing out of his mouth as he reveals to Seungwoo, “Actually, about that...” Hangyul puts on an oven mitt to open up the oven and take out the dozen of pie crusts he had already secretly set to bake earlier.

The emotion on Seungwoo’s face is pure deceit as he says, “Wow, I feel played.”

Hangyul immediately sucks up to Seungwoo’s side and engulfs him in a bear hug, “You helped me so much, hyung! Pie crusts can be stored in the fridge and used another time, so now my job for tomorrow is going to be much easier. You know I love you!”

Still upset, Seungwoo attacks Hangyul’s sides with tickles, causing Hangyul to slightly flinch and emit a squeal so faint that Seungwoo isn’t even sure if he heard it at all. Alas, Hangyul stands unperturbed. 

Hangyul shoves a finger into Seungwoo chest, “Boo-hoo! Too bad, I’m immune to tickles.” He continues, “Now, chop-chop! Come help me whisk my pie filling.”

“Yeah so you can continue taking advantage of me being your kitchen instrument and then later tell me that you have premade filling in the fridge,” Seungwoo raises a brow.

“_ No _,” Hangyul whines, “That’s not true!”

“I’m kidding. Come on, let’s go make your lemon pies.”

Hangyul grins and washes his hands, “In case you were curious though, yes, I keep premade filling in the fridge. However, we’re making a special triple layer pie today so I’m in dire need of your help.”

Hangyul puts a whisk inside the egg yolk bowl, “Whisk away! Having a bit of air beat into the egg yolks is going to give the final pie a better texture.”

Additionally, Hangyul hands Seungwoo sweetened condensed milk, room temperature sour cream, and lemon juice for Seungwoo to blend into the eggs later. The saved portions of sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, lemon juice, and also cream cheese, Hangyul uses a hand mixer to make the second layer of the pie. Seungwoo’s concoction for the first layer of pie is evenly distributed amongst the many pie tins before being left to bake for twenty minutes. Finally all Hangyul has left is a whipped cream topping.

Hangyul retrieves a bottle of chilled heavy cream and also takes a large metal bowl out of the freezer, earning him a bewildered look from Seungwoo.

“The heavy cream has to stay cool during whipping or else it won’t reach soft peaks,” Hangyul laughs.

Seungwoo saunters over from behind Hangyul to put his hand on top of Hangyul’s, effectively stabilizing the hand mixer being used to whip the cream. Seungwoo’s other hand floats around Hangyul’s hip. A blush once more climbs up Hangyul’s neck and spread all over his face. With Seungwoo’s assistance, Hangyul can pour lemon juice into the cream mixture once it had reached soft peaks. Together, they work magic to make the cream thicken into a feasible frosting.

The oven had long sounded to signify that the pies were done baking and currently cooling down. Hangyul deems it safe to fill the pie tins with the cream cheese filling and then let it chill in the fridge without moisture accidentally building up and causing the crust to fall apart. 

Closing the refrigerator door, Hangyul voices, “And now we wait.”

The red color on his face from all of the day’s events has yet to fade, deepening when Seungwoo comes over to squeeze at his side.

“I need to tell you something,” Seungwoo starts.

Hangyul stares into Seungwoo’s eyes wondrously, “...Yeah...”

“You have no idea how much I want to kiss you every time I see you concentrated on what you love or when you’re all flustered, gosh, I can barely even control myself. Please, Hangyul. Please give me the permission to kiss you.”

Seungwoo grows anxious as he waits for Hangyul’s answer.

“Kiss me,” Hangyul whispers.

“Kiss you where?” Seungwoo asks, equally as quiet. He had to be sure that he was not stepping over boundaries.

Shakily, Hangyul points at his forehead, so Seungwoo interlaces Hangyul’s shivering hand in his and presses a kiss onto Hangyul’s crown. 

Hangyul puts his hands on Seungwoo’s shoulders and then leans to kiss his cheek.

Returning to his normal position, Hangyul points at the tip of his nose. Seungwoo lets out an airy laugh at how dear Hangyul is, nevertheless granting his wish and wiggling his own nose against Hangyul’s in an eskimo kiss.

Their foreheads are against each other, faces close and lost in their own world. Finally, Hangyul starts to lean in to where Seungwoo’s lips await. Hangyul’s plush lips mold with Seungwoo’s thinner pair in a passionate kiss, mouths opening and closing in synchronization. Seungwoo’s arms that had fallen down to hold Hangyul at the dip in his back pulls him closer to Seungwoo’s own body. In his hands, Seungwoo feels how Hangyul’s back rolled and arched, falling apart because of Seungwoo’s touch. Their lips continue to move against each other until a need for oxygen forces them to separate. They smile because they understand without words, that _ that _ is the feeling of being in love. The happily ever after.

**Author's Note:**

> Edited, but probably still trash. Let me know what you think! I'm open to all forms of feedback and criticism. Also, just for fun, see how many Disney references you can spot!
> 
> *and if anyone really needed it, Gaeguli=frog (I'm that creative, yes)
> 
> Thank you for reading, be happy and smile today.  
My twitter: [adalheidishere](https://twitter.com/adalheidishere)


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